1. Field of the Invention
The present arrangement and the method relate to the determination of the position of peripheral units in computer systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
In smaller computer systems, there are relatively few components of the same type, so that, in the event of problems with one of these components, the component in question can be readily located and, for example, replaced.
A large number of similar drives are often used for peripheral devices, in particular for magnetic disks, in high-performance systems; these drives are inexpensive and reliable due to the large numbers used in small and medium-sized systems. On high-performance systems the drives are often accommodated in separate housings, even being separated off by fire walls in some cases.
To achieve a high overall performance, a large number of separate control units are employed, to which the drives are connected, usually via a SCSI bus connection. If, for example, the addresses of the control units are dynamically allocated during system start-up, then if one disk drive fails it is not clear where this drive is located. Even if the addresses are manually allocated and written down by a technician during installation, it is still desirable to have a locating mechanism that can be verified by the computer.
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide an arrangement and an operating method with which it is possible to determine the position of peripheral devices in a computer system.
The invention utilizes a second message system, that is present for diagnostic purposes, which has location-specific addressing. The message system monitors the peripheral devices for a specific operating state and stores its occurrence in a marker. Coupling the diagnostic system to the computer and its operating system enables the operating system software to bring about the specific operating state, query the markers, and establish the position of the peripheral device from the address of the marker.
The invention therefore relates to an arrangement and an operating method for determining the position of a peripheral system in a computer system, in which a predetermined operation of the peripheral system sets a marker in a diagnostic system which can be queried and the address of which enables the position to be determined.